


Loki's Voice

by Silvia_Mystic



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Band Fic, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Loki Has an Awesome Singing Voice, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:41:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27651473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvia_Mystic/pseuds/Silvia_Mystic
Summary: After an interesting, yet weird, discovery by the Avengers in Tony's lab, it leads to the group needing the help of the imprisoned God of Mischief, but not for the reason you think...
Comments: 9
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue

On the edge of the destroyed rainbow bridge in Asgard, Thor and Loki arrived, both weary from their battle. Thor, of course, was much better off than his brother. Loki had many cuts and bruises on his face and hands. Underneath his tunic, his cracked ribs ached under the heavy armor. He felt nauseous and was ready to fall over any second, but he couldn't. He wouldn't show that kind of weakness in front of his br-- in front of Thor.

Thor gave him a slight, yet firm, push. His shoulder protested with sharp pain. Loki tried to ignore it. It wouldn't do him any good to dwell on something he has no control over. Besides, it wasn't like war criminals are given stellar treatment. He was walked halfway down the bridge when he suddenly tripped over his own feet and barely caught himself. Loki let out a sharp breath.

Thor heard the breath and turned to him and saw Loki's eyes filled with pain and anger. But looking a bit further, he saw sorrow. Thor took off the muzzle that prevented the trickster from using his silver tongue. "What ails you, brother?"

Loki looked to his once-brother and said with a dry mouth and sore throat," I am not your brother."

Loki continued to walk silently ahead of Thor until they reached the palace, where they were met by several Einherjar and Frigga. His mother ran up to Loki and hugged him tightly. Though it felt like hellfire on his wounds, relief and calmness washed over him. Oh, how many nights in the void he wished for just this. He gave her a little hug back, as it was all he could do with his hands bound. _Curse these damn manacles._

They stood like this for several minutes until one of the guards said," It is time to go, my queen."

Frigga lifted Loki's chin up gently and said, "Be strong. No matter what, you will always be my son." Loki felt comforted by his mother's touch and nodded.

As his mother backed away from him Loki whispered," I love you mother." Frigga has tears in her eyes and she whispered the same back to him.

Thor left Loki and the guards to comfort Frigga as her son was led to his trial.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Loki walked up slowly to the throne where Odin was sitting. He stopped at the foot of the throne and one of the guards forced him onto his knees. He picked at his palm, a nervous tick he had gotten from mother, as he knelt there before his adoptive father. "Loki Laufeyson," Odin said as Loki frowned at him."You have committed many crimes against the throne of Asgard and the people of earth. But, your mother has vouched for you and has led to the lightening of your punishment." Loki thanked his mother in his head for her kindness towards him. Though, he couldn't help but feel slightly worried over what would be said in place of execution.

"You are to spend the rest of your days on Midgard, in the care of the Avengers. They will have full say over what they do with you and how you are to act when you are there. This is my final word."

Loki sat there with a shocked expression. "You can't be serious?!"

"Deadly. Unless of course, you would prefer execution, then this is my. final. word." Odin then said to the guards standing behind Loki," Take the prisoner to Thor and tell him of Loki's sentence. He will know how to get to earth again."

The guards pulled Loki off his knees and brought him to Thor to carry out Odin's orders.

\-------------------------------------------------------

"Sir, Thor has returned. He is on the balcony."

"Thanks, JARVIS!" said Tony.

Tony gathered the Avengers and brought them to the balcony to meet their comrade. Thor hugged his friends who welcomed him back. It was then they noticed that Thor wasn't alone. Loki stood there like he had when he left, though, he gave off a slightly more defeated feeling than before. They asked Thor why he had brought him back and Thor told them of Odin's orders.

"Do we get ANY say in this?" Clint complained.

"No," said Thor and Tony simultaneously.

Loki then said tiredly," Yeah, I'm not happy with this situation either." If he was being honest he just wanted them to hurry up and put him in a cell so he could be alone.

Bruce then spoke up, "I can take him down to the cellblock while you guys discuss this?"

Thor nodded and Loki followed Bruce into the skyscraper.


	2. Foundations

Thor woke up in his room in Stark tower very suddenly when he heard a loud ringing sound coming from the lab where Tony and Bruce worked. _What in HEL is that infernal ringing noise?!_ He looked at his bedside clock.

_6:14 am_

Thor swiftly rose from his bed, still in his sleepwear, and stormed down to the lab. He strode down the stairs and into the lab, where the ringing noise has suddenly stopped. He slamed the door open and saw Tony with a speaker and an electric guitar strapped around his shoulder. "Oh hey! I didn't know you were up yet." Tony said with a friendly smile.

"I heard a loud ringing coming from this room and I demand to know what it was!" Thor shouted at Tony, who was putting the guitar on his desk. 

"Sorry about that, the mic got too close to the amp and created that ringing sound," Tony said, raising his hands as a show of peace hoping the thunder god wouldn't pummel him. He pointed to a microphone that was laying on his desk. Just as he said that the rest of the avengers crowded into the room to ask what was going on. All of them had woken after they heard the ringing and Thor's shouting. After Tony explained the situation, the group started to complain.

"I thought we were being attacked!"

"The Other guy almost came out!"

"Why did you have to wake us up?!" Clint groaned, who barely got enough sleep as it was.

This continued on for some time until their voices became hoarse and they decided to have breakfast. They quietly sat at the kitchen island, all glaring at Tony who resolved to ignore them. They all finished eating fairly quickly, except for Thor who had three omelets and a whole box of Cheerios before he was satisfied.

Nat eventually broke the silence and asked, "So why were you fooling around with an amp this morning anyway?"

"I played the guitar in high school and picked it back up after I got back from Afghanistan."

"Really?" Thor asked. "That is very interesting. I learned the guitar as well after I got banished here. Jane taught me to play and I found them quite interesting because they are very much like the instruments we had on Asgard."

Nat then said, "I know the violin."

No one decided to ask why. They all had a pretty good idea.

"Also Clint knows the drums."

"NAT!"

Tony smirked. "Since when, Birdbrain?"

Clint practically growled.

"I know the piano... for obvious reasons..." Bruce said, chuckling a little bit.

Everyone looked at Steve.

He sighed and said he knew how to play acoustic.

"Man with everyone playing instruments, we should start a goddamn band!" Clint said jokingly.

Tony broke out a huge grin. "Exactly! How 'bout it?"

The group gaped at him. 

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!"

"Not a half-bad idea."

Everyone looked to Bruce, then to Tony, then back to Bruce.

"What? A lot of people do this kind of stuff as team-building exercises. Lord knows we need that!"

Murmurs of agreement.

"Ah, what the hell! Let's do it"

\-------------------------------------------------------

**_Somewhere else in Stark tower..._ **

It had been four months since Loki came to the tower. Well... came was a rather generous word, more like forced. The once-prince rested on his cell's cot, reading one of the few sources of entertainment he had been allowed. It told of a young boy going to a school for magic in England, where he finally wasn't the adopted outcast. Relatable, sort of. 

He just finished re-reading the first trial for the thousandth time when he suddenly heard a loud ringing from one of the levels above him and sprang up from his bed into a fighting stance. When he realized no one was there, he sighed and carefully closed the book he had dropped in his alarm at the noise. Every waking moment he spent in the cell he became more and more paranoid and anxious. It was starting to take its toll on him. Dark circles shone how he hadn't been able to sleep for days at a time.

The slot near the desk opened to reveal his breakfast. He sighed and ignored the food as he opened the door to the small washroom concealed in the corner of his cell. Still breathing heavily from the recent events he began a shower to try and soothe his nerves. He started to sing a song he had grown quite attached to during his time on earth as he let the water wash away the memories that caused him so much pain.

\-------------------------------------------------------

"J.A.R.V.I.S, please set up the music room with the proper instruments," Tony said to his AI.

Steve asked," Why do you have a music room? I haven't really seen you play until today."

"In case I ever wanted to record a song for Pep."

Clint mockingly went," Aaawww!" Nat elbowed him in his ribs, and Clint stifled a groan of pain.

"I think it's sweet, Tony," Nat commented.

"Sir, the room is prepared for use," the AI said.

 _That quick?_ Steve thought. He still wasn't used to this whole "technology" thing.

"Alright guys, let's get our asses down there!" Tony said with a smile on his face.

"Language."

"Shut up spangles."

"Sir, unfortunately, due to the elevator is being repaired, you will have to take the stairs." JARVIS sounded from above.

A collective groan resounded from the group.

As they made their way down the long, long flight of stairs, Steve stopped suddenly. There was a sound, almost like humming. He could barely hear it, but it was still there.

"Do you guys hear that?" The group became quiet and heard a faint sound coming from one of the surrounding levels. They walked to the door leading to the level where the sound was coming from and opened it quietly. It was the cell block.

Immediately the sound got loud enough for them to tell what it was.

"Is that singing?" Clint whispered.

There was only one person on that level.

Tony slowly walked down the hall and stopped in front of Loki's cell. He beckoned his friends over and whispered," I think it's Loki!"

He received many looks that said, "No shit, Sherlock!"


	3. Discoveries

The Avengers made their way into the room quietly so Loki wouldn't be able to hear them. They could very clearly hear the song coming from the bathroom now, along with the sound of rushing water. They all crowded around source of the song to hear. They were surprised to hear it actually sounded... good. Great, even!

_Can I clear my conscience,_   
_If I'm different from the rest,_   
_Do I have to run and hide?_   
_I never said that I want this,_   
_This burden came to me,_   
_And it's made its home inside._

_If I told you what I was,_   
_Would you turn your back on me?_   
_And if I seem dangerous,_   
_Would you be scared?_   
_I get the feeling just because,_   
_Everything I touch isn't dark enough_   
_If this problem lies in me_

Thor stared at the door sadly. _'Is this what he really feels like?'_ he thought. The rest of the group was listening with utter amazement at the angelic voice coming from the room next to them. Who knew the would-be-ruler-of-earth would sing like a fricken angel?! Though they had to wonder, how did he know earth songs? 

_I'm only a man with a candle to guide me,_   
_I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me,_   
_A monster, a monster_   
_I've turned into a monster_   
_A monster, a monster_   
_And it keeps getting stronger._

Clint whispered, "Kind of fitting for the guy who tried to kill us all." Thor glared at him and Clint went back to listening at the door. Tony started humming the tune. _Imagine Dragons. The guy has taste, gotta give him that._

The singing stopped.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a very angry Loki looking at the avengers, who had fallen backward from Loki opening the door. He was only wearing a plain towel around his waist and the golden bracelets on his wrists to prevent magic use. His hair was dripping and they could practically see the fire in his eyes "What are you doing!? Don't you know a norns-damned thing about privacy!?" With that, he slammed the door on them.

Tony, Thor, and Nat decided to stay back in Loki's room while the rest of their friends went down to set up their instruments in the band room. They sat on his bed in silence for several minutes before Nat asked Thor," Did you know he could sing like that?"

"No. This is the first time I have ever heard my brother sing. I wonder why he kept it from me?" he said sounding a little hurt.

"I wonder if he would join the band..." Tony said, almost to himself. They didn't have too long to think about it because a minute later Loki came out of the bathroom. He was wearing some black sweatpants and a dark-grey tee shirt. He looked at the people on his bed and sighed, "What do you want?"

They all looked at Tony waiting for an answer. Finally, he said, "I was wondering... well, we were wondering if you wanted to join our band. We need a vocalist."

"And why in Hel's name would I do that?"

"We thought maybe it would be a nice idea for you to be able to let out your emotions in a good way, instead of, ya know, destroying things," Tony said, remembering the incident where Loki had thrown a table at Thor when he had tried to reason with his wayward brother.

"Forget it." Loki sneered.

"Brother, please do this. I believe it would greatly benefit you." Thor looked at Loki with pleading eyes. Goddamn, what is it with this family and looking like put-out puppies.

"First off, I am NOT your brother. Second off, what will you do for me if I do this for you?"

Tony contemplated for a few moments before he said," You will not be locked in here. I will give you free rein of the tower, and you may do whatever you like unless it will cause harm to us or anyone else."

"WHAT!?" Nat, Thor, and Loki exclaimed simultaneously. While Thor and Nat sat there shocked, Loki quickly said, "It's a deal...on one condition."

"What?"

"I get to keep the old phone I stole from you."

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE IT!?" Tony exclaimed. _So THAT'S how he knows earth music._

"Yes, I did. Now, do we have a deal?" Loki asked calmly.

"Deal," Tony said reluctantly.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Loki left his cell for the first time in months and followed Tony down to what he assumed was a music room. He went in and stared at all of the instruments and posters in the large room. The walls were a beige color with a large mirror on the front wall. The posters littered the side walls and if he didn't know any better, Loki would've thought this was a teenager's bedroom.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt firm hands on his shoulders as he was pushed into a wall staring face to face with an angry Clint. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded. Loki stood there, surprised and unable to move because of the pressure on his shoulders from Clint holding them.

"It's ok, we are allowing him to do this," Tony said.

"What?!" 

"Barton, just let him go."

Clint let go of Loki begrudgingly and walked away to finish setting up his drum kit. Loki brushed himself off before walking calmly to the microphone in the center of the room. As everyone was setting up their instruments, Loki sat down on a couch in the corner. He closed his eyes and sang to himself softly.

_We do what we have to_   
_When we fall in love_   
_We say what we need to get out_   
_When it's not enough_

_Whether it's to yourself_   
_Or lookin' at someone else_

_Everybody lies lies lies_   
_It's the only truth sometimes_   
_Doesn't matter if it's out there, somewhere_   
_Waiting for the world to find_   
_Or buried deep inside_   
_Everybody lies_

Everyone in the group had since stopped what they were doing to listen to the beautiful song. Loki had forgotten at this point that he was not alone and just kept softly singing.

 _Just being honest_  
 _We're playing for both sides_  
 _It's easy to dec_ _eive_ _, but it's hard_  
 _When the trust that's broken is mine_

_For better or for worse_   
_For the happy or for the hurt_

_Everybody lies lies lies_   
_It's the only truth sometimes_   
_Doesn't matter if it's out there, somewhere_   
_Waiting for the world to find_   
_Or buried deep inside_   
_Everybody lies_

Loki's voice drifted off and he suddenly realized where he was again. Everyone else in the room looked like they had seen a ghost

" What's the matter?" Loki asked, concerned for them. Thor only said," Brother..." before going up to try and hug him. Loki stared at them for a second before realising what had happened and ran out of the room and back to his cell out of embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested I will begin to put references to the songs used at the end of every chapter :)
> 
> "Monster" by Imagine Dragons  
> "Everybody Lies" by Jason Walker


	4. Clubs, Reindeer, and the Icy Problem

It has been three days since the incident with Loki, and he refused to come out of his cell or talk to anyone. Yesterday, Thor tried to give him some food, but when he arrived Loki had locked himself in his bathroom and only came out when Thor left. Everyone felt bad for the trickster, especially Thor.

At dinner, Tony finally said, "Screw it I'm talking to him. He can't stay in there forever." With that, he strode out of the room and went down to Loki's "room". He barged in to find a surprised Loki with earbuds in and his old iPhone. Loki quickly took the earbuds out and stuffed the iPhone under his pillow.

"Loki, why are you avoiding us?" Tony calmly asked. There was no response."Loki, we're trying to help you. We WANT to."

After a long silence, Loki whispered," I have never opened up about ANYTHING to anyone. I was embarrassed that I did, even if it was in a song."

"Songs tend to do that to people," Tony remarked. Loki nodded in understanding.

Tony had an idea and told Loki, "I know exactly what you need! Come with me." Loki followed him out and to the kitchen, where the rest of the Avengers were waiting. "We are going on a quick road trip, guys! Meet Loki and me in the garage."

Tony was met with many confused stares, which of course he ignored, practically dragging Loki down to the garage.

15 minutes later, everyone crowded in a minivan and set off into the streets of New York. They drove for a while until they parked at a club at the other end of the city. Everyone looked really confused until Tony said," Loki needs to lighten up a bit, so, I brought us to a karaoke club! Oh, by the way, Lokes, you should probably shapeshift a bit. You can still do that right?"

He nodded hesitantly and changed his form so that a few features were changed. He wouldn't be recognized.

They went inside and saw a small stage and small tables surrounding it. There was a good amount of people there and once they found some tables Tony left for a few minutes. When he came back he said," I signed us all up for karaoke! And before you ask, no, there is no getting out of this."Loki raised an eyebrow as he still had no idea what karaoke was. Thankfully, he didn't have to ask because Thor said," What is this care-E-oke-E you speak of?"

Tony explained," You pick a song you like and the lyrics will pop up on a screen and you sing the song to the instrumental track." Loki stared at him wide-eyed before trying to get up from the table to leave. Tony pushed him back down on his chair and said sternly," You are DEFINITELY doing this. This will help you get over your stage fright." Loki glared at him and mumbled something about stupid midgardians and not having stage fright. Tony sat down and told them that Natasha would go, then Steve, Thor, himself, Clint, Bruce, ending with Loki.

Then there was a voice on the speakers, "Would Natasha please come to the station to pick her song?"

Natasha went on stage and sang, "Shatter me". His voice was soft, yet clear, and everyone clapped and cheered when she finished. Steve sang, "It's been a long, long time," and was very emotional when he got back to the rest of the group. Tony awkwardly gave him a pat on the back. Thor ended up becoming too invested in his drink to sing. Tony, Clint, and Bruce decided to do a group song. Tony smirked at Loki when the music for "Grandma got run over by a reindeer," started to play, which left the entire club laughing, even Loki gave a bit of a smirk. They got off the stage and the speaker man said," Would Lucas please come to the station to pick a song?"

_Lucas? Oh._

Tony looked at him and nodded.

Loki slowly got up and went over to pick his song. He got onto the stage very timidly and the music started to play.

Loki's angelic voice started to sing to the music that had begun to play.

_When the days are old_  
_And the cards all fold_  
_And the saints we see_  
_Are all made of gold_

_When your dreams all fail_  
_And the ones we hail_  
_Are the worst of all_  
_And the blood runs stale_

At this point, everyone in the club was looking at the Loki, who was now looking at Thor.

_I wanna hide the truth_  
_I wanna shelter you_  
_But with the beast inside_  
_There's nowhere we can hide_

Thor sat there, looking at his brother with sad eyes as he sang those lines.

_No matter what we breed_  
_We still are made of greed_  
_This is my kingdom come_  
_This is my kingdom come_

_When you feel my heat_  
_Look into my eyes_  
_It's where my demons hide_  
_It's where my demons hide_  
_Don't get too close_  
_It's dark inside_  
_It's where my demons hide_  
_It's where my demons hide_

The music faded out and there was a brief silence before everyone started cheering and clapping. He had a standing ovation. Loki stood there, shocked, to hear such a good reception of something he did. He got off the stage and went over to the avengers. When he got to the table, Thor immediately hugged him. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

Loki got up and looked at his bedside clock. 6:27 AM. He tried to go back to sleep, to no avail. He finally got up and went upstairs to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast, to realize he wasn't the only one up. Tony sat at the counter, sleep-deprived.

Loki asked, "Why are you up so early Stark?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Loki poured himself some cereal and sat next to Tony. They sat there in silence while Loki ate his breakfast. When he was done, he got up and went to the sink to wash his bowl when Tony broke the silence."When you were singing the song last night, what did you mean by ' _But with the beast inside, there's nowhere we can hide'_? _"_

Loki said, a little too quickly, "They're just song lyrics."

Tony turned to look at the god before stating, "You were looking at Thor while you sang it and I could see by the way your brother looked, it wasn't just 'lyrics'."

Loki looked shocked at how observant the man sitting in front of him was. He quietly said, "For one, He is NOT my brother. How many times do I have to tell you this? And two, yes there is a different meaning behind it."

"What is it?"

"None of your business."

"Come onnnnn! I took you to a damn karaoke club!" 

Loki stood there for a minute, closed his eyes, and sighed."I am a frost giant."

"What are Frost Giants?"

"They are a race of monsters that live on Jotunheim. From a very young age, all Asgardians are taught to fear them." Loki said, trying to calm himself. Frost giants don't hold the most pleasant memories for him.

Tony was shocked, to say the least. Thor had told them that Loki was adopted, but they always assumed that he meant from another Asgardian. _No wonder he was so screwed up when he came here_. Though one thing didn't add up. "Why do you look Asgardian then?"

"Odin placed a spell on me that changed my appearance to one of an Asgardian. I can still change back if I want to though." Loki said.

"Could you?"

"Could I, what?

"Could you change into your Jotun form for me?"

Loki contemplated for a while. _He was the one to give me the little freedom I have now._ He reluctantly decided to show him. 

Blue started to creep up his fingers and onto his arms, and settled his face. He looked up and Tony was amazed. He had ruby eyes and his skin was blue with raised symmetrical markings all over. He was beautiful.

Tony said quietly," You are not a monster."

Loki gave a small, sad smile before returning to his original form. Tony tried to say something more, but Loki was already walking out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> "Demons" by Imagine Dragons
> 
> Mentioned:  
> "Shatter Me" by Lindsay Sterling  
> "It's been a long long time" by Harry James  
> "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" (Christmas Classic)


	5. Icy Problem

Tony sat in the kitchen for a long time, contemplating what just happened. He was there for almost 2 hours until the rest of the team woke up. The group made their way into the kitchen and saw Tony, who was staring at a wall. Nat went over to the billionaire and said, "Hey."

No response.

She softly touched his arm and he almost jumped out of his seat. "Why are you so jumpy? I said 'hey'."

He paused for a second before saying," Loki and I had a little talk earlier this morning...and I don't know whether he would want you guys to know or not."

"Know what?" Steve questioned.

"If we can find him, then we'll talk"

\-------------------------------------------------------

Loki sat in the living room, asking himself why he let his walls come down with Tony. He has been imprisoned here for months. Hell, he threw Stark out the window! He has no reason to tell him anything, even if he is out of a cell now. Suddenly a soft knock came at the door before all of the Avengers entered the room.

Tony sat down next to him on the couch." You need to show them." Before he could respond Stark added, "They'll find out anyways, it's not like we don't have security cams in here. Also, they'll bother the shit out of me if you don't."

Loki just stared at his hands for a while before softly nodding. He stood up and turned to the rest of the Avengers. He closed his eyes and let the blue creep up his fingers and onto his face as he had done earlier. He opened his eyes to see everyone but Tony dumbfounded. Clint finally asked Thor," Did you know about this?"

Thor replied, "Yes, but I have never actually physically seen it."

Bruce said, "And what exactly is 'It'?"

"My frost giant form," Loki said before Thor could even open his mouth.

Tony looked up at them." That is what he showed me this morning."

Tony smiled at Loki before reaching out to touch his arm. He didn't know why but he wanted to see if it felt any different from normal skin. Loki and Thor both screamed"NO!", but Tony had already made contact with the skin. Tony doubled over in pain while grasping his hand. _Yep, different._ Loki reverted back to his original form before rushing over to Tony with the rest of the team.

"What the hell happened?!" Natasha asked, panicked.

"Frost giant skin burns people who touch it!" Thor said as he tried to make sure the burn wouldn't spread.

Everyone was trying to help him up to bring him to the medical wing. They eventually got him up before rushing to the medical wing, where they treated the wound and bandaged it. All the while, Loki watched from afar, guilt crushing him. When Thor tried to comfort him, he just shrugged him off. All Loki could do was think:

_'What have I done?!'_

Tony fell unconscious after they had finished treating his wound. Everyone was staring at Loki, who was now standing in the corner with his arms crossed. His face betraying no emotions. Bruce was the first to speak. "He'll be alright. Just a burn and some shock."

Loki nodded slowly, as if in a daze. He then proceeded to walk out of the room. No one followed him. They knew he needed time to himself.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Tony woke up a few hours later. He was fine, just worried about Loki because he wasn't in the Med Bay when he woke, with the rest of the avengers still in the room. He asked, "Hey JARVIS? Where's Loki currently at?"

"The music room, sir" The British voice came from the ceiling.

"Thanks, JARVIS!"

He got out of the bed, to the protest of Bruce, saying he should rest. He ignored it and made his way down to the music room, to find it was locked.

"Open the door JARVIS."

"Sir, Loki has requested that the door remain shut until he tells me to open it."

Tony sighed but remembered there was a recording studio attached to the music room that he could access. He went in, and through the one-way window into the band room, he saw Loki. He was sitting on the couch, with his hands on his head and tear-stained cheeks. Tony felt guilty for touching him because he knew that Loki was blaming himself for the incident, but he decided not to disturb him and went back to the Med Bay to get his bandages changed.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Tony had told the group what he saw when he came back, and Nat immediately went down to the band room to talk to Loki. She noticed that when she pulled on the door handle, it was unlocked. She went in and sat next to Loki. "This isn't your fault if that is what you are thinking."

Loki would have given anything to be able to teleport out right then and there, but the bracelets blocked his powers. "I'm a monster. I should have never shown stark my... other form."

"No, you are not."

"Yes, I am."

"I'm the only monster here." Loki looked at her quizzically before she continued."While you and Bruce have different forms, you are not monsters. I was trained to kill mercilessly from a young age to get what I want. I've tortured my friends. I've broken apart families. You still think you're the monster in this tower?" 

Loki stared at her silently before asking, "How's Stark doing?"

"Great, Bruce thinks the wound will heal in a few days."

"That's good."

She could still see the tears in his eyes, so she put her arm around him and pulled him closer. He started to silently cry on her shoulder. Why was he crying. It was Stark's fault. He hated being seen like this, but her hug had made him feel safe and he could recognize this was not only from today. 

_"No more than another stolen relic..."_

They sat like this for a little less than an hour, and as Loki stopped crying and began to calm down she said to him softly. "Why don't we wash up and head to dinner, alright?"

Loki nodded and he went to his room to change. A few minutes later, he came out to see Nat waiting outside of his door, waiting to go upstairs to dinner. They took the elevator, which was finally fixed, and went into the kitchen to see the rest of the group, who were already eating. The dinner was mostly silent, except for the clanging of the ceramic and silverware. They all made their way to the living room like they usually did after dinner.

It was mutually decided to watch a movie and Tony _insisted_ on watching Lilo and Stitch. Aka, the story of a little blue alien, who, originally thought of as a monster, eventually found his home and his family. The analogy wasn't lost on Loki.

After the movie, Tony brought over shots for everyone.

"To our family. It's little and broken. But still good."

Loki smiled and everyone took their shots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to put Lilo and Stitch in here at some point! It was too good of a comparison to be left out. 
> 
> PS: https://pin.it/1naDLJ8  
> https://weheartit.com/entry/121014814  
> (not mine but I thought they were really cute)


	6. Furious Dreams

The next month came and went with no trouble. The group grew even closer as friends, and the band practices made the group even happier. They were all having pizza for lunch one day and discussing what song they should practice with next. Loki and Tony wanted to do Imagine Dragons for the 6th time that week and after much arguing, the rest eventually caved in and let the two madmen have their way.

Just as they finished their meal and were cleaning up, JARVIS sounded from overhead.

"Sir, Director Fury of Shield is at the front entrance."

"Not now JARVIS."

They then heard the elevator being used before JARVIS spoke again. "Sir, I am afraid he has overwritten my protocols."

"Shit."

Tony, now panicked, told Loki firmly, "Go to your room, now. It is not safe for you up here." He hadn't told Fury that Loki was staying at the tower yet, and the last time Fury came to the tower was immediately after the Battle of New York.

Loki understood and headed towards the stairs, but it was too late. The elevator dinged and it slid open to reveal Nick Fury and his assistant, Maria Hill. Fury spoke to Tony as he walked out of the elevator, "Stark, there's a situation at Shield. The world council wanted me to tell you..." His voice trailed off as a certain God of Mischief caught his attention. "Loki!"

Maria sprang into action, catching Loki off guard as she punched him from behind, making his knees buckle and she forced him to the hard ground, putting him in handcuffs behind his back. He struggled bit but stopped after he realized it was no use. His strength was depleted because of the bracelets so he could barely fight back as it was. Having a knee dig into your shoulder blade made it that much more difficult. His ribs were pressing up against his lungs, inhibiting his breathing. He groaned slightly as Hill pushed down on his head, keeping him from seeing his captor.

Steve yelled, "STOP!" Everyone in the room froze. The only sound in the room was Loki's heavy gasping and slightgroaning as Hill pushed against the fresh wounds. Loki had a cut on his cheek and above his eye and he was almost certain he had a few bruised, if not cracked, ribs. Clint got up to go over the Loki to help him, but Fury pointed a gun at Clint, almost daring him to help the trickster.

Fury said, "Stark, you are going to tell me why the hell the guy who tried to take over New York is back on earth, IN YOUR TOWER."

Thor started to explain his father's sentence for Loki to Fury.

"My father sentenced him to spend the rest of his life in exile here on Midgard. He has been entrusted into the Avengers care."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why he isn't in a cell a couple of floors below us right now."

Tony readied himself for the eventual backlash. "About a month ago, we all found out we played instruments. We were heading down to the music room to test out if we could play a song together when we heard something coming from the prisoner level. We found out it was Loki singing. He was pretty damn good too," Loki smiled at Tony, "so we wanted him in our band." Tony paused before he said the next part. "We gave him most of his freedom in exchange for singing in our band."

Fury closed his eye and sighed. "You let him out...so he could SING...IN YOUR BAND!"

"Yup."

Fury looked like he was ready to murder every last one of them. Bruce quickly stepped in and said," He hasn't caused any of us harm since he got some freedom. He's actually been pretty nice to us." He knew it wasn't entirely true, but the frost-giant thing didn't happen on purpose.

Fury looked at them all cautiously, then hesitantly put his gun away. He gave Maria a nod and she slowly got off of Loki's prone body. The whole team ran over to help Loki. Nat helped him sit up, while Clint got the handcuffs off. Loki squeezed his shut in pain as he sat up, his airways unconstricting, but his entire body now recognizing his injuries, sent shoots of pain through his chest and wrists. They got the handcuffs off and Steve and Thor helped him get to the couch, where they laid him down. Bruce and Tony started to tend to his wounds with a first-aid kit, looking disapprovingly at Fury.

Fury stood there, shocked, watching this unfold in front of him. He said, "You guys look like you actually care about him."

"We do," Clint said.

"He manipulated you guys, and you forgive him?" Fury asked in disbelief.

Nat replied, "It's not like you haven't."

He stood there in silence for a while before telling Tony," The world security council wanted to let you know that they want an arc reactor for headquarters. They want in on the clean energy business."

Tony stood up and said, "After what you guys just did to Loki, how 'bout no."

Fury sighed before pointing at Loki and telling Tony, "If he does anything out-of-line... you'll be answering to me." He and Maria stalked towards the elevator and left the tower without another word.

Bruce was finished putting the last bandage on Loki's face. Bruce told him that the cuts would heal in a couple of days and he had no long-lasting injuries besides a few bruised ribs. Loki nodded before getting up to go over to the kitchen to finish his pizza. Tony came over and told him that he was sorry for how Fury treated him.

"It's not your fault. Now, let's continue the conversation we were having before Fury came." Loki said to the group.

It was a good day after that. They all mutually decided to postpone practice for the day because of the injuries, and instead played some board games in the living area. Loki decided to retire to his room a little earlier than usual because of a headache he had sustained earlier. He lied down on the green comforter he had been given and immediately dozed off.

_"Think you can talk back to your master? You'll regret that." The Other said as a chitauri soldier slammed Loki's body down on the hard rock, hands bound behind him. Loki groaned in agony as they dragged him towards a dark room and chained him to the floor. They gagged him and left immediately. Hot steam started to fill the room. For a normal person_ _,_ _it would be unpleasant, but for a Frost-giant, it was unbearable. The steam enveloped him as he started to try and gasp for air, but the gag prevented him from doing so. His body slowly slipped into unconsciousness and he could feel the chitauri drag him out again to torture him more just as he blacked out._

Loki's eyes burst open as he sat up sharply and began panting heavily. He could feel hands brushing his shaking arm, trying to calm him down. He looked over to see Clint at his bedside. "It's ok, Loki. It was just a nightmare. Please calm down." His breathing started to return to normal as he leaned back against the propped-up pillow against the wall, not wanting to lay down again.

Loki finally calmed down enough to ask Clint, "What were you doing in my room before I woke up?"

"I was up already because I couldn't sleep. I was in the living room when JARVIS told me it seemed like you were in distress. So I came down here to see what was going on, and I found you tossing and turning with your eyes squeezed shut. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't. So, I just stayed here until you woke up." Clint explained.

Loki nodded in understanding. "Thank you for staying with me."

"Your welcome. Now, you don't have to tell me right now, or ever for that matter, but if you ever want to discuss your nightmares, I'll listen. I get them too."

Loki paused.

"Because of me?" he said meekly.

"Partially, but to be honest it's mostly stuff from my past before the whole 'Avengers' thing."

"Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it, I would have gotten them without you or not."

"I suppose you might've..." The god said with a small smile. Not a smirk or a conniving look. A genuine smile. Clint smiled back and got up to go out of the room. Loki said as he walked out, "Goodnight Clint."

"Goodnight Loki."

\-------------------------------------------------------

The next day the whole group, minus Loki who was sleeping in, decided to plan a day to binge-watch the "Harry Potter" series because Loki had finished all of the books. They decided to let Thor take Loki out of the tower for a day so they could decorate and plan the party tomorrow while they were out. The plan had been agreed upon just as Loki came into the room to grab breakfast, giving an almost imperceptable nod to Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're starting to get to some conflict... but not before more fluff!


End file.
